Blue eyes
by Zeyho
Summary: She got to the point when she can put her sister far above her own self and safety. Yes, Alex Danvers would do anything to keep her sister safe; well, almost anything. She'd never give up that annoying smirk she could recognise anywhere, but she'd do anything to protect him - after all nothing, not even his adoption papers, can change the fact that he was her son.
1. The first 9 years

**I don't own Supergirl, just Joshua.**

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The first time they met had been an accident. Alex was exploring the city, past the pizza place and the cafe she usually spent her night in, for a change of scenery; she'd been stuck in her lab for weeks _\- weeks_ ; not that she minded, she loved it actually, but being so far from home for the past year since she graduated from high school made her homesick sometimes. That day was one of the worst moments. Some times she calls home,talks to Kara and her mother and feels better, some times she just thinks about the most precious memories she had with her family, some times... Some times it wasn't so easy - talking to Kara always helped, especially because the young Kryptonian could keep her mind off her own feelings for hours, but it hadn't been much help these days, not since her father died and the DEO recruited her. So here she was, walking around aimlessly; she wasn't even sure where here was when she heard it. A broken, shy voice made her turn around - a little boy was looking straight at her with the most beautiful blue eyes and biggest smile she had ever seen. She was so fascinated with the boy that she had not seen the danger that was slowly advancing towards her from behind. The boy, on the other hand, sifted his glance from the Alex just enough to the one behind her. Alex could see recognition flash in his eyes and her eyes narrowed in confusion. She was about to turnaround when the boy jumped in her arms and smiled widely though his eyes were still focused on whoever or whatever was behind her.

Normally, she'd be suspicious and trust her training; whatever was behind her could be dangerous - the kid could get hurt badly, but the second the boy was secured in her arms her whole body betrayed her and relaxed. She just met this kid and he was already her weakness. So she trusted her gut and played along to the kids charade when he started talking in a familial way with her, but had not taken her eyes of his. She felt his body tense the moment her arms went around him, only to gradually relax. She finally caught his little game - the kid was slowly relaxing to tell her that the one behind her walked away, the more relaxed he was, the farther the person was. She couldn't help her curiosity, though, and turned around when she felt almost all the tension - leave his small body; her mouth went dry when she saw from what had the boy actually saved her. She knew that species of aliens, it was one of the most dangerous one she had ever heard of, but they lived by a strict code - never harm a family with young children. She looked, shock visible in her eyes, at the small boy - he couldn't be older than 12.

"Don't worry, he won't bother you for at least a couple for years..." he started timidly as Alex set him down "I'm sorry I- "

"You know what he was?"

The boy nodded, shying away from Alex's stern glare "Yes. I'm really sorry, but he wanted to hurt you..."

Alex looked the boy up and down one last time before her mind was set - he was going to bring the boy to director Henshaw. It didn't take long for them to find out that he didn't remember almost anything about his life prior to meeting Alex, yet his knowledge about aliens surprised even the director. After hours of talking and tests, all they knew about the boy was that his name was Joshua, he was 11 and he only trusted Alex. He refused to go anywhere without the brunette, he kicked and fought with anyone else who tried to touch him except Hank - the boy was still a little reserved around the man, but it seems he at least tolerated Hank around . Alex wasn't doing any better despite her calm expression. She watched anyone that got close to Joshua like a hawk and, while the reason why she felt so protective of this kid was confusing her, she knew he had won her over.

Henshaw sighed - they weren't going anywhere with finding who the boy was and their search for his parents brought up nothing. It was like the kid just sudden appeared in front of Alex and it was frustrating. They had to do something about the boy; his knowledge on aliens was of utmost importance to this organisation. An idea formed in his mind - a very good one from what he would tell, so he began to acquire all the necessary papers. It took a little convincing, some threatening and some manipulation, but he managed to finish in less than two hours. Now all he had to do was to tell Danvers...

To his surprise, she agreed the second she realised what he was asking. He watched as Alex broke the news to their little guest - there was a new light in her eyes, one he hoped Joshua Danvers could keep alive...

 **xxxxx**

At just 13 years old, Joshua Danvers was beginning his sophomore year as a high school student. It was always hard for Alex to watch him go, she is his mother after all and she knows just how mean and scary high school can be when you are not ordinary. She has faith in her son - he was a 'badass' just like his mother and Hank. She smiled faintly as she thought about him; Joshua brought them closer than she had ever imagined. Hank was family to both of them now and, even if no one will ever fill her father's place, the man did a pretty decent job even though he hated when Joshua would call him "grandpa".

"Mom, I'm going to be fine. Go to work, grandpa is gonna yell if you're late like last year."

Alex laughed ruffled his hair, the boy groaned in protest as he tried to fix the damaged caused by the older woman before walking away. Alex always hated to see him go, but she knew he'll always fight his way back and she couldn't be more proud.

 **xxxxx**

At 15, Josh graduated top of his class; both Alex and Hank attended the ceremony for a rare occasion of a 'family dinner'. Alex would've loved for both Kara and her mother to be here, but none could come; Kara had a lot of exams to prepare for, though Alex doubts she will be able to focus on anything else after finding out her nephew just graduated, and her mother simply didn't want to come. Eliza had been like this ever since she had told her about Joshua: not quite trowing him out the door, not quite accepting him either so Alex made a choice - Joshua could deal with his so called grandmother when he was older, but now she will do everything in her power to shield him. They had chatted, laughed and forgot about aliens and everything else for the rest of the day. At some point, the discussion became serious because of a simple question that came from Hank.

"What are you going to do next? Psychology or bioengineering?"

Alex paused mid-way through sipping her glass of wine - this topic had always caused tension between her and Joshua; she and Hank could see from a mile away the boy had a natural talent at reading and understanding people's emotions and tried to guide him towards psychology while the boy was adamant about bioengineering. She just hoped tonight they won't argue about it.

"Actually, some universities have shown interest in me. Two even offered me some kind of deal..." he smirked as he looked at his mother "They told me they'd let me study both, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, if my grades won't fall. Plus a full scholarship if I won't fail any exams."

It took some time until Alex replied, or even move, and the boy's smile had almost disappeared when his mother pulled him into a hug. Hank laughed silently as he let the two get into their own world - the boy never cease to amaze him.

 **xxxxx**

Joshua promised his mother he will manage two demanding majors and he more than delivered; Alex had no idea that Hank was training him to become a full fledged agent by the time he graduated at 18 years old. She never knew until Alex froze in the middle of the room and stared at her son - he stood proud by an equally proud Hank, dressed from head to toe in black. She managed to hold back her tears, but she hadn't managed to to the same for the small smile. The boy - no, the man knew he had equally surprised his mother and made her extremely proud at the same time as Alex stopped right in front of him.

Hank held his blank face as he began to speak "Agent Danvers, meet our newest recruit. Joshua Danvers will work alongside you from now on, both in the lab and in the field."

Both Danvers had fallen back into their 'business face' as Alex replied "It will be an honour to work alongside you, agent Danvers."

She could keep her emotion from showing, but sh could not fool Joshua. His mother was proud of him and, more importantly, she trusted him enough not to worry. Nothing will even come close to what he felt that very moment.

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 **Thank you for reading and please review!**


	2. Meeting the family

The first time Alex brought Joshua to meet her family was for Thanksgiving. Her mother invited them over and, while Alex wanted nothing more than to say no, Kara's and enthusiasm to meet her nephew made her go against her better judgement - she made sure she brought enough wine with her just in case. The kid was looking forward to finally putting a face to all the stories Alex had told him about Kara and, despise his wide smile and constant assurance, she could see he was reversed about Eliza. Her mother had, after all, expressed her opinion about the boy very strongly and loudly the first time they talked on the phone about it; and let's not talk about their first meeting... Alex was sure her son knew Eliza was against this, he was, after all, a smart kid - he could read her and Hank like open books. He had taken Kara's role as her rock and had yet to let her down. No words were needed between them most of the time, not even in the first few months. They had come to understand and predict each other, something that helped them adjust to their new lives. Alex was truly grateful for it - sure, she looked after Kara when she first came down, but she was a child herself. Now she was the adult, a parent and, while her son was just as independent as her, she was responsible for him until he came of age. Her jaw tensed when they entered her hometown.

"You're doing it again..."

She smiled as she cast a glance in his direction. Joshua was trying to wake up and get rid of his accent; she still doesn't understand how he got it in the first place, but somehow it fits him. She tried not to laugh at the obvious dislike at being woke up on his face - he always hated waking up. The kid would sleep for a week if no one bothered to wake him.

"How about we go somewhere you loved before going to Eliza's?"

She relaxed as she nodded "Ice cream sounds good?"

"Bloody perfect."

Alex laughed as she parked "Come on kid, I'll show you where me and Kara spent most part of our childhood. You'll love it."

Joshua rolled his eyes "I'm 15, mom, I'm supposed to hate everything like every other teen..."

"You've never been one to blend with the rest, kid. I really doubt you'll start now."

Joshua smirked.

 **xxxxx**

"So, Joshua... Have you decided what are you going to do after high school?"

To say dinner was a disaster would be an understatement - Kara tried to keep the obvious tension to a minimum and it worked for the first one and a half hours, but she couldn't keep Eliza from speaking at all.

Joshua was looking down at his place, his overall happiness vanishing "Not quite... I'm still deciding between two."

Eliza nodded slowly "That okay, you still have time. But don't choose just to please someone."

Her tone didn't held anger, but what she said was obviously directed to his mother - Joshua and Alex tensed. This is why Alex didn't want to come; her mother always found a way to criticize her and her choices.

Joshua took a deep breath and smiled, opting to end the conversation there. He knew, maybe even better than his mother, just how much Eliza hated that he was Alex's kid. He didn't understand at first, he was young and very obvious to what was happening around him, but it didn't take long to find out why she was so against him - he was an outsider, Eliza saw him as some random kid Alex picked from the streets.

He tried to avoid any further discussions that could end in fighting - he wanted to give his mother and her sister time to talk after not seeing for so long, but the elephant in the room couldn't be avoided forever. An innocent conversation about Alex's life brought hell. Joshua wanted to come between the two women, to shift Eliza's attention back to him; he could take all the things the older woman threw at him because for him, honestly, Eliza would never be family - not when she turn his mother on a weekly basis.

Joshua cast one last glance to his mother before standing up, making both women stop their arguing "Look, I understand that you don't see eye to eye about me... But it's Thanksgiving, can't this be put on hold?"

Eliza glared hard at him "Joshua, this is none of your business."

He laughed bitterly "Really? Because last time I checked all of this was about me. I know you don't like me, heck you might even hate me, but it wasn't your choice and it doesn't bloody affects you in any way. I couldn't care less about what you think is right because you're not my family - mom and aunt Kara are and, honestly, I don't understand why I'm even trying..."

Alex smiled when she saw Kara's eyes widen; they hadn't spent much time together, but, every time Alex talked with Kara about Josh, her sister wanted nothing more than to meet him - Kara already loved the boy without even meeting him because, as she put it, the boy made her happy. Her mother, however, was about to explode so Alex took the only safe step she could.

"I think we should leave."

 **xxxxx**

It didn't take long for Joshua and Kara to hit it off. The two became almost inseparable after their first peaceful dinner and Alex couldn't be more happy - her sister and her son were the best of friends. The fact that her sister had no idea who she worked for was often forgotten when they had their family nights, but the guilt and worry would quickly return. Her son was about to graduate and Hank would more than surely want him to work with the DEO - Alex sighed, they'd tackle that when the time came. Fro now, she will enjoy every moment the three of them spent together.


	3. Pilot

Life wasn't as hard as most people told him. Sure, he had a nice 'boss' and a job that literally needed him to be everywhere, at once if possible, but it wasn't so bad - that's what Joshua Danvers thought for two months while working for the DEO. His view of life changed when he left National City. In the last 8 months he has been working with the GCPD in Gotham and had little to no contact with his mother or his aunt; he's been trying to built a life outside his mother's shadow.

"You know...For someone so laid-back at work, you sure think a lot. What's on your mind this time, Special Agent?"

Joshua chuckled "I think we both know that's not true, Selina."

The woman smirked as she stood up, the white sheets barely covering her naked body. Joshua stared as she began dressing, not once shying his gaze. You see, he expected to have one-night stands, maybe one or two girlfriends too, but he never expected Selina Kyle, the famous thief, to be one of them. Oh, his mother would have a blast kicking his ass for not turning her in...

"Seriously, what's on your mind? You know you tend to be more injury prone when something is bugging you. Or should I remind you what happened last time?"

The boy sighed - he'd had his own share of criminals and hospitals since he got here, more than he cared to remember. His body was practically covered in scars, although most were small and barely seeable, and a few bullet wounds, but he couldn't help feeling bored - maybe fighting aliens would be more interesting. Sure, being shot at kept him on his toes, but humans were predictable and limited, aliens were still an enigma; they were like mystery boxes...you didn't know what they'd do until you faced them. He could go back to National City, Hank always said he was welcomed back anytime and his mother was supposed to fly to Geneva today, he had his fateful car and his apartment was still there - his nice and spacious apartment; what was keeping him from going back?

"Am I boring you, Joshua?"

Oh, right - Selina... She'd been his 'partner?' for over 4 months now and he'd be lying if he said he didn't care about the woman, but, on the other side, she always encouraged him to go back and face the music.

He smiled as he got out of bed "Maybe it's time I go back..."

The older woman smirked "About damn time you figured that out, Danvers. Now get dressed and start packing, we don't have all day."

His dog, Duke, barked at him from Selina's side - Joshua groaned as he muttered 'traitor'.

 **XXXXX**

It didn't take long to get to National City when you had a super car and a free pass with the police. His mother was on the plane and he was already settled in - he was home. Unpacking was done, he fed Duke, his apartment was surprisingly clean - he probably had to thank aunt Kara for that - and, for the first time in weeks, it was just peace and quite as the TV became the only background noise.

They sat in silence until the dog jumped on his feet, barking at the TV. Joshua's eyes widen as he hurried to get dressed - he had to jinx it and call this a peaceful night...

He parked and got out of his car at the same time as his mother was about to enter the building. Joshua forgot about everything as he tackled his surprised mother - the reality of what could've happen finally caught up with him as he felt his mother hug him just as hard.

"You're okay..." was the only words he could barely muster for a whole minute before getting a hold of his self "Bloody hell, mom. Are you hurt? Do you need anything? Is Hank-"

"Kid, I'm fine. Everything's OK... but what are you doing here?"

He smirked, already back to his usual self, at least for the moment "I kinda came back... But I can leave if you want me to."

Alex hit him hard over his head, smiling, before turning the conversation serious "Are you coming back? For good?"

"Yeah, Gotham is not really my style... You can question me all you want later, now we have a bigger problem."

Alex groaned, but began walking to Kara's apartment; Joshua laughed.

Kara hugged both of them as soon as she saw them, and began to babble on about the plane crash. They listened for a few moments, then a few questions were exchanged before Alex finally cracked and asked for a drink.

Joshua sighed as he dropped on the couch. He watched his mother finish the glass in one go before he finally talked "What were you thinking, Kara?"

"What...?"

"You exposed yourself. To the world. You're out there now, Kara."

"Mom is right. Everyone will know about you and you can't take that back..."

Kara stared at them as she began shyly "I don't want to... Guys, this is what I was talking about - I always felt the need to protect people and I finally got the chance."

Alex scoffs "What if people figure out who you are? What you are? It's just It's not safe for you to do anything like that. Ever again."

Kara's face fell and Joshua felt the need to interrupt "What mom is trying to say is that you're not trained to be a hero, Kara. You could get hurt. Or worst."

"Oh..." Kara bit her lip "I'm kind of tired...I-I just carried a plane on my back. You should go."

They both wanted to argue, but thought better of it. Alex nodded and Joshua hugged his aunt before leaving. They both groaned when they were out of the building - this was going to be a long week...

 **XXXXX**

Watching Kara fell was one of the most unsettling things he had ever seen. He knew this was for the best, he also knew a fight was going to happen when Kara woke up, but having his aunt disabled like that? If he didn't care so much about Hank, he'd have killed him right then and there.

Watching Kara pull away from his mother? That... That made every muscle in his body tense, he felt like shit - dirty, like he just committed an unspeakable crime. He managed to stay silent as Hank held his speech about the DEO and Fort Rozz.

"I can help you stop them."

Hank threw him a look and Joshua sighed, at least it was him and not his mother "You couldn't even stop the DEO from capturing you." Kara was looking at him, shock visible on her face "Those are the worst criminals there are. Our job is to keep people in the dark about alien life on Earth, we can't do that with a you flying around."

"They know about my cousin, they don't fear him."

Hank stared at her and, as he was turning away from her, he dropped one last thing "Plenty of people do, just not popular to admit it, miss Danvers. You wanna help? Go back to getting someone's coffee."

Kara turned on her heels and walked away with Alex not far behind. Joshua groaned quietly as Hank came next to him.

"She might not understand, Joshua. But it's for the best and you were the only one who could tell her."

Joshua nodded - his mother would've never told Kara so bluntly, yet that only made him feel even worse.

"And Joshua? Why did they recruited him? To make sure you stayed with them?"

The boy rolled his eyes - he loved his out to pieces, but she was much too obvious for her own good sometimes. "They don't let us stay because of you, they let us stay because of our background in bioengineering and what we can do."

"And for how long have you known about this?" Kara pressed "You knew that you didn't even try to tell me."

"You should guess at things you don't know anything about." he started coldly "In a lot of ways they saved me, but seeing as you are set on being angry that doesn't matter. Not right now."

Joshua didn't avert his emotionless and cold glare until Kara looked down and left. He hated being the bad guy, but his aunt needed someone to be and he'd rather die that let Kara hate his mother. He growled - now it was just a waiting game, one that could end up killing Kara.

It ended up being a short game. They caught a transmission from a possible hostile and Hank had already ordered Joshua to move to the location, alone to scout. None had foresaw Kara coming so fast, or her being overpowered so fast - the team Hank asked for as backup would arrive too late. He groaned(it sure seemed like he was making a habit of it and he was home for less than two days); the only weapons he had on him were a dagger and an axe, both modified. He took a deep breath before throwing the dagger at the hostile, hitting him in his shoulder and successfully gaining his attention. In his defence, he went toe-to-toe with an alien and was close to wining had in not been for the hard tackle that threw him into a wall, efficiently breaking two of his ribs. The alien was about to finish Kara when the DEO arrived. Joshua would have got up and help his aunt, but the pain in his side was still too fresh for him to move; Alex will kill them both...

 **XXXX** **X**

"Fighting the alien head on, Joshua? You could've been killed!"

"Mom, it's just broken ribs. It'll heal."

Half an hour and Alex wasn't done with him. Joshua threw a pleading look at Hank, but the older man just laughed and took the sample that his mother got from Kara's wound.

"I swear, all that talking about how dangerous Kara being out there is and you rushed in like that? God, kid. What if they found out that Kara cares about you?"

"Alex, it wouldn't have been that bad..."

"Bad, Kara? It would have been catastrophic. The Fort Rozz escapees would give anything to get revenge on your mother and the only way that they can do that now is to hurt you and those you care about. This is why I didn't want you going out there. We were trying to protect you"

Kara sighed "Yeah, well... You were right. The world doesn't need me."

The kriptonian left, defeated, and Alex sighed "You're lucky to be alive, you know?"

"Mom, I know what I'm doing. Maybe it wasn't the best plan, but it bought you time to get there."

She pulled the boy as close as she could while minding his injury "No one is indestructible, Josh, not even Kara... Don't try that again."

Joshua smiled "I can't promise that. Not when you would've done the same thing."

Alex laughed and pulled Joshua even closer "Idiot."

 **XXXXX**

Convincing Kara to help was easy, it was Alex's mission after all. Convincing Hank to let her help almost made Joshua punch someone, but he managed nonetheless.

Stopping the bad guy? That was something else - Kara almost died, again, but won eventually. The hostile, however, killed himself before anyone could get any info out of him.

Joshua smirked at Hank "She won."

"This time, kid. We can't let our guard down just because she defeated one escapee."

"Still, a win is a win."

Hank rolled his eyes, but left the young man be - after all, she did won.


	4. Stronger Together

It's been a week since his aunt decided to become Supergirl. A week since he was able to sleep for more than five hours a night. A full week if his mother questioning and watching him like a hawk, one bloody week since he came home and he wanted tonight more than to go back to Gotham. No one expected so much from him there, mainly because no one was better trained than him, but Selina would kill him.

She'd keep in touch with Joshua and encouraged him just as much as she teased him about how whiny he became in such a short time. Truth be told, it wasn't his fault - Kara had no training and Hank put most of his trust in him when in came to Supergirl things. He never complained, though, not about helping his aunt and mother - he loved that everything was out in the open about the DEO and he more than adored working alongside his family. They were currently working on getting a better grab onto the kryptonian's abilities.

"I think I might actually have a handle on this."

Joshua rolled his eyes as he wanted Kara fly around, but kept quite. He didn't want to bring his aunt down - they had Hank for that anyway.

"Is that the fastest you can go?"

He heard Kara sigh "Are these tests mandatory for everyone or just because I'm a-"

"Aunt, the DEO requires rigorous physical and psychological evaluation for all its prospective field operatives. It's not because you're a woman or an alien. If you're not in full control of your powers a lot of people could get hurt."

"A novice superhero could be a liability and very dangerous in a field, just as Special Agent Danvers just explained."

They fired one last time at Kara before she came down smiling "So, did I pass?"

Hank shared a look with the young man and, as he walked away, he replied "I see you share your cousin's appetite for wanton destruction, Miss Danvers."

Kara pout "He knows that I am starting to answer to Supergirl, right?" before smiling brightly at her sister "I'm ready, Alex, for all of it. Is all of this really necessary?"

"Believe it or not aunt Kara, he's just looking out for you. All of us are."

"Please, kid. I had a full year of training before he even let me in the field, he let you wander from your first day here."

Joshua smirked "Some are better than others..." Alex glared at him "Seriously, though, I had my ass kicked for _over_ a year before he even let me _join_. But I'm really glad that you're here."

"I am too, I hated keeping this whole part of my life from you."

He needed a drink - preferably two or more. Hank had almost talked his ears off about Kara's last epic failure as a hero. She was in training for God's sake, she's suppose to make mistakes; Superman made plenty in his first years., but Hank has been adamant about speeding up the training sessions with them - him and his mother, sessions that were scheduled a month from now.

Joshua sighed lazily as his dog sat next to him on the couch. He was bored out of his mind and didn't have a single clue about what to do. Going to his mother's or to Kara's was an option, but he wanted more action. A nearby bar would offer some kind of entertainment as there must be at least drunk people doing stupid things, but it was too early for drinking. So he settled for doing what he always did after a long day - freaking sleep; he just hoped he could do so for more than five bloody hours...

Joshua always thought it was inhuman to wake someone up before seven, especially if that someone is your boss. Luckily, he was one of those people that liked to exercise in the morning - 2 hours of running, from five to seven, was how he properly woke up almost every day. Hank never had the 'pleasure' of waking him up yet. Alas, here he was - at seven fifty in the morning, looking at a dead body.

Him, Hank and his mother were just arriving when Kara made her appearance. Hank's eyes narrowed as he looked at the blonde "What is she doing here?"

The young man replied before his mother could "It doesn't matter. We hunt aliens. She's an alien. It's a resource we didn't have before, might as well use it."

It didn't take long for Kara to prove Joshua was right and in less than two hours they knew what they were up against - a Hellgrammite.

"You guys track him down, and I'll take him out, just like we did with Vartox."

Hank nodded "Sure thing, Miss Danvers. If you can prove to us you can handle yourself without getting killed."

And that's Kara ended up in the training room. Joshua felt a shiver run up his spine as he remembered the hours he spent here with Hank - he'd never been so sore before.

"What are we doing in here?"

Alex took a deep breath before turning to face her sister "When I joined the DEO, I spent 12 hours a day for five straight months in this room."

"We need to know that you, as much as everyone else, is prepared for everything out there." Joshua continued "And all that is going to happen here."

"You also spent 12 hours a day here?" Kara joked before Alex punched her, sending her a good few feet again.

He winched, but began to laugh as soon as he saw Kara's shocked expression. He stopped when Alex glared at him.

"How did you do that?"

Joshua smirked lazily "Kryptonite emitters. They are not strong enough to permanently harm you, but they're enough to weaken you. Make this a fair fight."

He watched the two fight. Alex was winning, barely, but Kara was not as bad as he expected - inexperience, awkward and sloppy, but she had potential. He groaned, his mother was holding back too much.

"OK, enough. Mom, how about you let me have a go?" he asked sweetly.

Alex caught onto what he wanted and was reluctant to agree, but nodded "Sure."

Kara seemed to be in better spirits probably thinking she could win against him since he was still recovering, but her mood fell drastically when Joshua had her pressed against a wall and unable to escape.

"All right, all right, enough." she started as she struggled to break free "You made your point." she sighed "Maybe I'm not DEO material after all.I think I know why my cousin prefers to work alone."

They didn't say anything as Kara walked away. Maybe coming now back wasn't the best idea, not with dozens of escapees from Fort Rozz running around...

He growled as he punched the nearest wall "You told me you had enough men with you to catch the Hellgrammite. Enough men doesn't bloody mean one fucking car!"

Instead of punching something else or someone, Joshua began to walk around hoping it would calm him down even a little; the walking only made things worse...

"I understand you're angry, Joshua. But this won't help your mother."

Joshua turned to face Hank, seconds away from breaking his neck "You better fucking hope she's alright, or Kara coming after you will be the last of your bloody problems..."

With that the stormed out, he was going to find his mother without the DEO and Supergirl. It was time to start taking matters into his own hands - consequences be damned.

With a little tip from one of the underground informers he had, Joshua managed to find very easely where Alex was took - an old, abandoned warehouse. The aliens, whoever they were, had no regards whether others knew here they were.

"Please tell me again why you dragged me here from Gotham?"

"Cat, keep your voice down." Selina rolled her eyes and urged the man to continue "Because my mother is in danger and I need help."

"Wolfy, you're more than capable to rescue Alex on your own."

He glared at Selina, but choose to ignore the obvious challenge. They moved closer to where his mother and another woman - Astra, if he heard correctly - were talking. He heard their whole conversation and couldn't help but scoff when the alien spoke about saving the humans. They watched as Supergirl arrived, freeze upon seeing the hostile and then being overpowered. Joshua groaned - he realy needed to teach her how to fight properly.

"Wanna help the little superhero? Or should we focus on getting your mother out of there?"

He shook his head "Stay watch, tell me when the DEO arrives and then meet me back at my place."

Josh contemplated on what to do, but all thoughts were forgotten when the Hellgrammite attacked Alex. He moved as fast as he could and, in a swift move, broke the aliens neck.

"What the heck are you doing here?"

He rolled his eyes "Be angry later, I have to get you out of here."

"No, I can manage. Help Kara."

He groaned, again, but at least he brought the portable kryptonite emitter "Don't you dare move."

With the help of the emitter Joshua succeeded in catching Astra off-guard, despise the discomfort he still felt in his side. Kara watched as her nephew fought her aunt. It was clear that he was the better fighter, faster and more technical than Astra, but her aunt had probably fought bigger and stronger. She felt her heart stop when Astra crushed the emitter, but breathed in relief when the DEO arrived and Astra retreated. She felt both proud and useless - Joshua almost beat her aunt, but he held back when they fought, even when he was injured. She needed to get stronger as fast as she could.


	5. Fight or Flight

Joshua Danvers was not one of those people who liked everything. He was the type that hated probably everything at some point in his life; expect his mother, he could never hate Alex. He hated dogs before he got Duke, he hates every chatting platform there is, he even gets extremely irritated by his aunt, Sunny Danvers herself, and don't get him started on his undercover job... He gets headaches almost everyday after he gets home, but there was one thing he loved about the DEO - that meaningless words written on his file, 'Special Agent'. God, he loved how much free time that implied because, as much as working for the DEO helped the planet, he would rather spent his time at his day job. Not only did it paid more, a whole freaking more, but it was also more peaceful and he has the one in charge.

Morgan Enterprises was a very large company, on pair with Wayne Enterprises, but, unlike the latter, the company's CEO chose to stay in the shadows - no one knew who the CEO was and, thus, not many gave the company the same public attention as Bruce Wayne. The company mainly focuses on biotech and developing new technologies and Joshua could proudly admit that he handled most of the Biotech division.

Thanks to that company, money was and will never a problem - he had a very spacious apartment, a expensive and beautiful car, he got the motorcycle he always wanted and had enough to spare. He even pays most of Kara's bills for her apartment, though his aunt and mother don't know that... They just think Clarke takes care of that. All of that, with only one word, yet he never bragged about it - sure, he had all those things, but he doesn't spent money beyond that.

He just wished he'd have a day when he wouldn't need to rust out every-fucking-time he opened the TV - today was not that day...

 _ **XXXXX**_

He'd never thought he'd have to go to Catco to have a few words with his aunt about keeping a secret, but here he was - dressed formally and with glasses (he still doesn't understand why Hank had been so adamant about them), waiting for Kara to arrive. The fact that Winn, he knew who he was because he'd done a background check on both him and James Olsen, was trying to do small talk wasn't of much help either.

"So... You're Kara's...?"

Joshua glared, but kept his mouth shut. He was so glad when his aunt finally showed up.

"Josh! What are you doing here? And why are you dressed like that?"

"Cousins, really?"

Kara flinched at her nephew's harsh glare " I didn't mean to. She-She tricked me. I got confused and it just popped out."

He groaned as he pass his hand through his hair "If by some miracle mom or I don't, Hank will surely kill you one of these days. What were you thinking?"

Their conversation was cut short by Kara's boss "Kerah, just because it's a big day for journalism it doesn't mean that you can chat with your boyfriend all day long."

Joshua laughed as Winn almost fell of off his chair and Kara's eyes widen comically, but stopped as soon as he realised that Cat Grant was looking him up and down.

The young man smiled nervously as the lie slipped out easily "Miss Grant, Kara's my aunt. My mother asked me to check on her since she wasn't feeling very well last night, but it seems she's okay so I'll be out of your hair." He hugged his aunt and whispered "This isn't over." before leaving the CEO alone with her employees.

"Now that is surprising... I never knew your sister had a son, Kiera. Is he single?"

"Miss Grant!"

 _ **XXXXX**_

Fist he rushes out from his day job, next Cat Grant's eyeing him like he was her next meal, Kara was taken down by Reactron and now he had to attend Cat Grant's party (stupid puppy eyes). To top things, he was confined to desk jobs until the medic gave him permission to go out in the field again - the one medic that is more afraid of Alex. Of course he tried to act like he was fine enough to actually fight like he usually does and he did try fighting an agent - he failed miserably to prove his point, but stood by his claim that he was fine. His attempts were shut down instantly which only served to irritate him even more.

"Thank you so much, Josh! I really needed someone and this is not really the kind of thing Alex agrees with..."

He sighed, but smiled nonetheless "That makes two of us... Now run along, I'll be around trying no to punch anyone."

Joshua could've been home, enjoying the fact that Selina chose to spent a few more days in town even if things ended between them. They were still very good friends and he missed just hanging out with her. Yet here he was, watching people drink and dance with no care in the world.

"Twice in one day. Are you stalking me, little Danvers?"

The young man smirked "Not so much stalking, miss Grant. Kara thought it'll be nice to get me out of my apartment, it just happens that your party coincided with my free night."

"Hmm. I am still amazed Kiera never mentioned you. Are you a serial killer?"

"No, nothing so spectacular. I just returned to town so she probably never got the chance."

"That may be true, but I can shake off the fact that I've seen you before... Oh, well. I guess I'll have to find out another time."

"Miss Grant?"

She smirked "Nothing says powerful more than leaving your own party early."

 _ **XXXXX**_

Joshua Danvers hated a lot of things, but also treasured some more than his job or, dare he say, his life. Spending time with his mother and aunt knowing that the DEO won't call just happened to be the thing he treasured the most. And, even thought most of the times Supergirl was needed, leaving him alone with his mother, he knows for sure that he will never come to hate that.


	6. How Does She Do It?

Alex Danvers was not shy to admit that she never understood how people took so much time off from work. If she'd take time off only God knows what could happen to Kara or Joshua, or even Hank. Sure, Kara was almost invincible and Joshua spent most of his time at M.E. (she really needed to find out exactly what was he working with and on at Morgan Enterprises), but the two were like magnets for problems - her son somehow convinced Hank to write a recommendation letter for GCPD and ended up with more scars than her and she was fighting _aliens_ , and don't get her started on her sister... Of course she knew a vacation would do anyone good, especially in their kind of work, after all that is why Joshua went to Gotham, but a lot of good things came from the fact that she worked so much. She met her son because Hank had sent her away from the lab, she's the second-in-command and she gets to work with her family every day. Plus she loved working with the DEO, otherwise why should she wake up so early when she couldn't even joke about being a morning person?

She so hated Kara and Josh for being up so early every damn day. Kara, she understood, but her own son? She could never understand how he got up every morning at freaking five. Oh,well - it's not like it was the only inexplicable thing he did, she'll just put that on the list...

 _ **XXXXX**_

Josh could barely stop himself from laughing at Hank's confused expression when his aunt barged in and 'accused' him on spying on her. Alex hit him in the leg and gave him a warning look. He knew his mother would never actually hurt him, that bad, but it was completely normal to be a little afraid of her like the rest of the agents.

"If I were following you, Ms. Danvers, you would never know about it. This, it's not one of ours."

And that was their cue - Alex picked the fragment up and examined it briefly before passing it to her son. He took his time, searching for anything that could point them to who made it and trying to visualise how the drone would look.

"No markings. Extremely advanced, but definitely man-made. Whoever made this knows what they're doing."

"Yeah, no kidding. That thing was like trying to swat a fly in a tornado."

"Have you ever seen something like this, Special Agent?"

The young man flipped the piece "Maybe. It does look like the military prototype Morgan Enterprises is working on, but it's very unlikely it's our. However M.E. is not the only company who could make something like this." he handed the remains to Alex "Try and look for anything that could point to a specific company or person. I have to go and make sure this isn't M.E. issued. "

Hank nodded " Do that and report back if you find anything suspicious. If someone's targeting one of my assets, I want to know who it is."

 _ **XXXXX**_

He never understood why people found so much pleasure in scarring people until he joined the DEO. The same could be said about yelling - there was something about it that sometimes put Joshua in a good mood; especially since yelling usually resulted in interns tripping over their own feet trying to get out of his sight as fast as they could. He didn't even want to think how he'd react if his million dollars prototype would disappear, but, thankfully for the poor people working with him on it, it was still there and in one piece.

He sat down at his desk, wanting nothing more than a cup of coffee, right before the alarms rang - a bomb went off five streets from here. He sighed, the universe must want him working full-time for the DEO. He was right about to exit the building when Kara called him - _'Please, please, please pick up miss Grant's son and bring him to Catco. Pretty please?'_ How could he say no?

Good thing is wasn't as bad as he imagined it'll be - Carter was a little shy, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. Plus, he was sure the fact that he came with his favourite car and not his work car made a good impression on the boy judging by the little light in his eyes.

"You like old cars, kiddo?"

"Yeah., but my mom says I have to work very hard to have one."

He chuckled "That sounds like Cat Grant, and she is right. Buying them is one thing, the maintenance of such a car? That will drive you crazy." he looked at the boy in the mirror "You know what car is this? And don't you dare say Mustang because it's written on it."

Carter laughed, it was only for one second but he laughed, before smiling brightly "But it is and I don't know much about cars, yet."

"Well, kiddo. This beauty is a Fastback from 1963 with little over 400 Hp, but don't tell your mom. She'll have both mine and my aunt's head is she ever finds out just how fast his car can go."

This time he did laughed out loud - Joshua smiled brightly.

 _ **XXXXX**_

At this rate, he will most likely not make in to 30 years old. Not with his mother being a minute away from blowing up and not with his aunt almost drowning, especially when he was still confined to HQ - he really needed a break. So when Kara asks him (more like begged, but who cares?) to look after Carter in her place for a few hours, he says yes before his mother even processed the question. The kid was quite and very interested in two things - cars, his speciality and obsession ever since he was 13, and, apparently, Supergirl.

"You have a crush on Supergirl."

"No, I don't."

Joshua laughed "Kid, if you do then you have good taste in women. You don't have to lie about it, Most people have a crush on her."

"Do you?"

"Now between you and me, I do think she's very beautiful, but she's not my type. I'm more of a villain kind of guy."

"Villains? But they're bad."

"Well kid, if everyone had crushes on superheroes life would be boring and I don't do boring."

"Then why are you watching over a kid instead of having a date or something?"

"...Touché, kid."


	7. Livewire

Sometimes Thanksgiving starts with a nice cup of coffee, or a nice, long run, or, maybe, just sleeping for as long as you. But that's how normal people spent the morning. They weren't normal people so their Thanksgiving morning doesn't start with something so boring, but with an alien prisoner who got loose.

"You two promised you'll be here."

Joshua sighed as he dodged another punch. He managed to land a couple of well-placed punches, even a few kicks, but his side was still protesting against stressful activities. "And we will, mom."

"We will be there as soon as we deal with the loose prisoner, Alex."

They both heard Alex groan before she ending the calls. A few punches and a drop and they were done - the alien was knocked out.

Kara was panting as she moved to put an arm around her nephew "He was tough. Are you okay?"

Josh groaned loudly "She. And yeah, nothing I can't handle."

"And this is why we don't let you on the field, Agent Danvers. You're not up to 100% yet and we can't risk a greater injury."

He glared "One of these days I will get my way, Henshaw."

Kara laughed "Not with Alex around. Now, any chance we can have the rest of the day off?"

 ** _XXXXX_**

"Finally!"

"Nice to see you too, mom. Don't worry, we're both fine. It was just some big, havoc-wreaking, lady-beast thing that broke free - nothing we couldn't handle." Joshua's voice was dripping with sarcasm as he dropped down on the couch.

Alex sighed and moved to take a ice bag and pass it to her son who groaned when she pressed the bag onto his ribs "Look, I'm sorry. I'm just I'm freaking out."

"Alex, I have seen you take down a human-sized bug without a weapon. This is nothing."

"Two years ago, she was mad at me for Joshua going to Gotham. Last year, she was mad at me for you not dating enough." she sighed as Joshua pulled her into a hug, resting his head on her shoulder "I can't even imagine what she's gonna do to me for you coming out as Supergirl."

"It'll be fine, mom. You're stressing out for nothing."

"Yeah, she seemed fine on the phone." Alex glared "At least she's making pie."

Soon enough there was a knock on the door and Alex jumped on her feet. Joshua threw the ice bag into the sink and put on his best smile - God forbid Eliza knowing that he was hurt. Kara just rolled her eyes, amused at how panicked they both seemed all of a sudden, as she opened the door.

"Eliza!"

The older woman hugged Kara as soon as the door opened "My girls! Oh, my best, favourite, wonderful girls and nephew! Come here, Alex, Joshua. It's so good to be here."

The young man smiled politely as they hugged "I'm glad you made it here okay."

"Oh, you all look so great. Kara, you always looked great in blue." Eliza eyes both Alex and Josh up and down before continuing "And you've grown into quite a handsome young man, Joshua. You two seem a little tired, sweetie. Is work keeping you busy?"

Kara smiled nervously "How was your flight?"

"Oh, it was fine. Um, it was a little bumpy."

"I hate when that happens. I hit some crazy air pockets when I was flying back from the-" both Alex and Joshua hit her "The company Josh works for."

"Oh, I thought you are working with the police."

He smiled shyly, secretly cursing his aunt "Mostly, yeah, but I dabble a little when they need me. It's nothing too big, though. Kara actually picked me up on her way here."

Eliza smiled as she shifted her eyes to Kara "You're doing great, Kara."

"Do you really think so, Mom?"

"Of course."

Both Alex and Joshua breathed out in relief, but they couldn't shake off that little part of themselves that said 'She's so mad.'

 ** _XXXXX_**

He loved spending time with his mother, he always will. But spending hours with a version of Alex who's obsessing over the fact that Eliza didn't seem mad? That was just pure torture. Her rant was over after three hours when she literally dragged him to Noona's to talk with Kara because 'she figured it out'. Of course that ended with optimistic Kara telling Alex that maybe, just maybe, Eliza isn't mad before going and saving the day. Joshua loves his mother, but right now a day in a boring office at M.E. was much more appealing -maybe he could even skip dinner...

 ** _XXXXX_**

God, he hated Kara's puppy eyes (stupid puppy look that makes him do stupid things). He should be at work, working on a project that could literally make him a millionaire, but no, he had to attend the Thanksgiving dinner he knows will end in a epic bloody disaster. One that Winn's presence won't stop. And of course Kara starts this process - she has good intentions, pure and very good, but...

"So, before we eat, I thought it would be nice if we went around and shared what we were grateful for, or any other feelings that we might want to share with family and friends, so let's share." Alex shifted in her seat "Okay, I'll go first, um I'm grateful for everyone here. My best friend in the entire world, my sister and nephew who always had my back, and the woman who always treated me like a daughter." Kara looked around once before continuing "Alex, do you wanna go next?"

"Nope."

"Josh, what a-" a very mean, but subtle look and Kara turned to Winn when her phone rang. "Oh. It's James. Um, sorry, sorry. I'll make it quick."

With that Kara felt and the tension rose considerably. Poor Winn tried to make small chat and avoid any touchy subject, but Alex had enough.

"There's something I have to tell you..." Joshua's whole body went rigid "When I was at Stanford, I was doing research in genetic engineering. And my work and connection to Kara, it came under scrutiny - I was recruited by the government." Joshua interviewed their hand "We were recruited, actually. We're operatives for an organization called the DEO. We work in the field with Kara. I mean, that is my job, Mom, I look out for her."

Four minutes - that's all it took for this to get ugly.

"How could you do this, Alexandra?"

"She called her Alexandra. Oh Rao, this is gonna get ugly"

Alex stood up "How could I do what? Devote my entire life to watching over Kara? Well, I don't know, maybe it's because it's what you've told me to do since I was 14 years old."

"You lied to me for years."

He couldn't stand it anymore. He stood up angrily, almost throwing the chair away "That what you got from all of that?" he stopped for a second watching Eliza "When Kara risks her life to protect other people she's a bloody hero, but when mom does the same she's in trouble? For fucks sake, are you really that much of a hypocrite?"

"Joshua..."

"No, you're not gonna tell me that I don't know what I'm talking about, or to shut up because I did - I kept my bloody mouth shut all those years while you stepped over everything my mother did. I understand that you want to make Kara feel welcome and that, sometimes, that means favouring her over your own freaking daughter because I'm also adopted, but all those years...? You might be a brilliant scientist, but I seriously doubt you know how to be a good pa-"

"You're not even part of this family."

That made him shut up, not because of what she said, but because of how she said it: so bluntly, with absolutely no remorse and, maybe the most painful, so fucking casually. He tried not to let that get to him, he started this to protect his mother from another 'Eliza moment' (mainly 'Eliza moment' = a very drunk Alex having a emotional breakdown), and he will make sure that Eliza never did that again - what if he ended up broken? That was a small price to pay if his mother's life will be better, even by a little.

"...Right." he started, trying to keep his voice strong and even "Because I'm the poor adopted kid Alex picked up from the streets, because I'll never be a true Danvers. Or was it because her father would be disappointed of whom I become? Well, let be shatter that illusion - I not only work with the best Biotech divisions there is, I'm in charge of it." he paused to take a calming breath before the kill "All your research? It was all funded by Morgan Biotech, and for the past three year that means by me. So you might want to think about changing your career because I doubt you want money from the poor adopted kid."

He was sure he shocked everyone in the room, but he didn't care. He began to walk out when another thing crossed his mind "My mother did everything on her own. Everything she ever accomplished, she did without help - not from me, not from Kara, not from the DEO. And if you ever think about hurting her again again? I don't care if I'll have to go through both Supergirl and Superman to get to you..."

 ** _XXXXX_**

God, he felt like shit, but the drinks helped. He was back in his own apartment, finishing the second bottle of canadian whiskey. Or at least trying to. He had never felt this empty and angry in such a long time that he forgot what it was like. Fuck, he sounded so pathetic that he laughs,hysterically, for an hour. He turned to stare at the door, or at what was once a door - he had been so angry that he punched through it without even realising. Maybe he was finally losing it - that would be an interesting twist.

He ignored everything beside his drink - calls from Hank, Kara and his mom and the whole 'Livewire' thing (Kara probably took care of it already). He deserved one night to himself, he just hopes the world won't start turning upside down because of it.

* * *

 **I hope you all enjoyed the story so far and don't forget to leave a review - reviewing is caring.**


	8. Red Faced

He enjoyed drinking. It was his way of relaxing after a tough day, that or running and, God, he didn't have the energy to do so. He could blame Selina for him drinking, specifically for the hangovers that came after, but after Eliza Danvers a drink was the only think that could've kept him from strangling someone. Joshua didn't regret what he said, he did it hoping he could make Eliza more open about how proud she was of his mother. He knew he probably ruined any chance for a normal grandmother-grandson relationship, but it did't bother him that much - he had Hank as a grandfather figure anyway.

 ** _XXXXX_**

He would do anything for those he cared for... Well, almost anything - Sam Lane was one of the only taboo subject he did anything to avoid. Joshua had the pleasure of meeting with General Lane on one of his run-in with Poison Ivy. The General wanted to take her into custody in order to "find out and understand how she acquired her powers" as he put it. He fought and threatened to walk, but the commissioner had also caught on what the general actually wanted and strongly refused. Sam Lane tried everything to take Joshua off the case, but the young man couldn't be moved - that left the general with a deep dislike towards the young agent. And, when Hank called and told him the Army Intelligence was on its way to the DEO? He threw on his DEO uniform and was out the door in minutes - there's no way in Hell he'll let Lane around his aunt, not without him around.

He suppressed a groan when he saw General Lane talking to Hank, of all the people it just had to be him. A part of wanted to interfere in his usual cocky and sassy way, but he wasn't a police officer anymore. He stood at a safe distance listening, ready to interfere.

"I need you to approve an immediate transfer. A member of your field unit to my command - the lady in red."

"Technically, Supergirl doesn't work for this organization."

He chuckled, leave it to her mother to be all technical.

"We've been developing something. An anti-insurgent combat device, project code named - RT. I need her help testing it for me."

This time he did groaned, starling Vasquez. He gave an apologetic smile "Sorry, hangover."

"I doubt you'd be dressed in the standard DEO uniform just because of a hangover."

He smiled shyly, but his eyes shined in a dangerous way "You know me too well."

The look in his eyes sent shivers down Vasquez's spine. For someone so cheerful that cracks jokes all day, he sure was agent Danvers' son - she almost pitied the general, almost.

Joshua bit farewell to the agent and turned towards Hank and the others just as Lucy Lane showed up. Oh, this was going to be fun...

"She has no choice. We have an executive order forcing you to comply."

He watched as a hint of pride made its way into the general's eyes "My legal attache and my daughter, Major Lane... It's been signed by the President. You can take it up with her if you like."

Just as Hank was about to take the file from Lucy, Joshua, with the usual smirk on his face, snatched it "I just might, General."

"Joshua Danvers. What is Gotham's golden boy doing all the way here?"

Lucy stared - she was sure she'd seen him with James and Kara a couple of time. In fact, if her memories were correct, he was Kara's nephew. She narrowed her eyes. What was he doing here?

"Unfortunately for you, my job." he smirked threateningly "Supergirl will not be participating in any field test without a justified reason. And do remember that the President's signature doesn't scare me away."

Lucy clenched her jaw "If you don't think she's up to it-"

"Oh, I am sure she's up to it. It's your little combat device that has me doubting... Of course, if you want someone, I'd be happy to test it myself." He felt his mother glaring at him, but ignore it and smiled innocently - two can may the 'pride' game.

"Agent, I don't think you fully understand what you're asking."

"Major Lane, if I can defeat and catch people like like Joker, Killer Corc and Bane, I think I can handle whatever robot you probably want me to fight."

"It's not a robot." the man smiled "It's an anthropomorphic pseudo entity with combat capabilities - I call it Red Tornado."

"Well, this might actually be fun - Thomas Morrow in the flesh."

 ** _XXXXX_**

"Are you sure you want to do this? Supergirl can take it."

He rolled his eyes. It was the first time he used his combat suit in months - sure he was a little rusty, he spent weeks on the side line because he was injured, but he was confident in his abilities. Worse case scenario? He'd have to hack the thing while making sure it doesn't fry him.

"Mom, the suit can and has resisted explosives, falls that could leave our friends in red incapacitated and fires. Whatever it throws at me, I can take it."

"I'm not worried about the suit."

"Then trust me, it'll be fine and the general will leave with his tail between his legs."

 ** _XXXXX_**

The android lived up to its name - he threw Joshua ten feet away. It also provided the perfect opportunity to find out just how sturdy the suit actually was. But, overall, it was still an android - predictable with pre-programmed moves, a humanoid piece of metal with standard weal point. To put it simply, it was no way near ready to fight Supergirl.

Then again, when has anything worked perfectly around him? Something went wrong and the android launched missiles. Joshua barely avoided the first one, but the second made contact with his chest plate, sending him flying. He stood up, checking for any major damage. The suit absorbed most of the damage, leaving it with a few scratches, but it couldn't absorb the impact - Joshua's world went black.

 ** _XXXXX_**

He woke up startled, one step away from jumping on his feet. His heart was beating faster and faster as everything came back. Joshua took deep breaths to calm as he focused on the more pleasing memories.

"You know, I am starting to think you enjoy making Alex worried."

The boy sighed in relief as his body finally calmed down. He glared at Hank "How long was I out this time?"

"Two or three hours, maybe four."

That was code for definitely four hours. He groaned "Why did you wait so much to wake me up? You know how mom gets..."

Hank smiled "That I do, she loves you. And that's why I couldn't - Alex never left your side. She just left fifteen minutes ago."

Joshua nodded before sighing. He was tired, tired of hide something so big from his mother. He knew the risks - Hell, that was all he could hear for an hour straight before she actually let him go.

"You know why you can't tell her. At least not yet, kid."

"I know J'onn, but how long 'til all this blows up in our faces?"

"Hopefully, not for a couple of years."

"And realistically?"

J'onn sighed "I'm surprised it didn't already."


	9. Human for a Day

"Look, Kara. This happens to Superman too, where he loses his powers for a couple days, right?"

Kara sighed "Yeah, but it's been two days, and I don't feel any different."

Joshua rolled his eyes "You're just going stir-crazy because the DEO has been testing you all weekend."

"Exactly. Plus now you get to go out in the real world and see what it's like to be human for a day."

It took all of his willpower not to laugh at his aunt. Kara never dealt with problems in a normal way, it was always pouts and glares and irritation. Luckily, Hank decided to show up just in time.

"Might learn a thing or two about what it's like for the rest of us. How are you feeling?"

"Fine, I guess..." she sighed "If this is what fine feels like now."

"Kara is heading to work. I was just going to walk her out."

Hank nodded "You do that. In the mean time I need you, Joshua, to deal with an unruly guest." the boy nodded "Might need your help with him when you're done, too."

Alex smiled "Happy to, sir."

The two girls watched as Hank and Joshua walked away, talking.

Kara stopped and thought "Hey Alex."

"Hmm?"

No - there was absolutely no what that Joshua knew what happened to Jeremiah and didn't tell Alex. "Never mind, it was stupid anyway..."

 ** _XXXXX_**

One day without Supergirl and guess what happens? An earthquake. But that's not the best part... Jemm, one of the most ruthless criminals ever to be banished to the Phantom Zone, whose psychic abilities surpass any living species got loose. Joshua groaned. They locked down the base and Hank got a team geared up. Of course, the Danvers were part of that team.

"First order of business is making sure Jemm does not read our minds in the field."

"R&D developed these, neural disrupters. Portable versions of the energy shield we use to block Jemm's powers when he's in his cell."

Hank nodded as he took one "We only have four disrupters left so, Tsung and Reynolds and Danvers, gear up."

 ** _XXXXX_**

There are some times when Alex wishes she never knew how worried a parent can be for his child, especially when your kid gets shot at and hurt almost everyday. But this? Standing there, safe after one door when her son was nowhere to be seen on the monitors? When two agents just died? That was more terrifying than anything she had ever encountered.

To have Henshaw tell you they've lost sight of your son and that the rest of the disrupters were destroyed? Even more so. To go out and find the two disrupters working? That made her think off the worse. And now she handcuffed Hank in room.

"Alex, don't be stupid. You can't win against Jemm. Joshua is still out there. Let him take care of the alien. Alex!"

It didn't take long to realise that she should have given more thought to what Hank told her. She would have been dead had it not been for her son and the man she had just accused of killing her father - they had killed the alien.

Suddenly everything was back to normal, Kara was saving people, Hank and Joshua were off who knows where, but all Alex could think of was that Joshua somehow knew about Hank. So she did what she thought Joshua to do, take the bull by its horns - she finally knew what happened to her father, why Ha- J'onn recruited her son. She needed a drink. Preferably three.

 ** _XXXXX_**

Alex wasn't always proud of how she handled things: her fights with her mother(thank God it was all over), that thing she'd rather never speak about ever again with Vickie back in high school, Joshua's "one new thing per day" stage. She thought she got better at this, but, as she looked at the half bottle of whiskey she had just drank, she realised not much had changed.

"Mom, I might not have Kara's powers, but I know you're there! Just open up so we can talk. Please? Or at least drink together?"

She sighed - of course her son, who knew so much more about her than Kara,would know she's drinking. She shifted, spreading herself on the couch, and muttered a 'it's open' before burying her face in the pillow, knowing her son could hear her. She gave up long ago on understanding how the man had such a good hearing.

To her surprise, Joshua didn't come in at first. Confused, she turned on her back and stared. "Kiddo?" she tried softly, but the young man didn't reply. She gulped - surely, he couldn't have left, could he? No, that wasn't like him. As she stood up and made her way to the door, all the anger and alcohol in her system were forgotten. Just as she was about to turn the knob, she heard a small 'thud'.

"Ya' know, I wanted to tell you about your father, bloody hell I did - I do." she leaned against the door, pressing her forehead to it as she listened - his voice lacked its usual confidence "You must understand, mom - I'd give anything to protect you and Kara. I would never forgive myself if I ever hurt you, but I-" he sighed "It wan't my secret to tell. Just how you didn't tell me about Kara until she gave the OK."

She fought back the tears "I confided in you. I told you everything about me, I never hid from you - not about my past, not about anything. Fuck kid, I even told you about Vickie..."

"I..." she heard him curse "I won't apologise for keeping J'onn secret. I can't, and you know me better than to think I'd hate you for being angry or disappointed."

Alex tried, she really tried to hang onto that anger. She wanted nothing more than to hate them both. She needed that anger, but how could she stay mad? J'onn had been there for her and her son ever since he was adopted, he helped them constantly, and Joshua... He risked his life for her and Kara on a daily basis, he worked hard to be independent and not bother her about money or anything. She smiled, faintly and just barely, before opening the door - Joshua had a pleading look on his face, avoiding her eyes.

"C'mere kid, I think a 'family night' is way overdue."

He smiled shyly and his eyes shined as Joshua took the remaining distance and hug Alex.


	10. Hostile Takeover

**She never hated the expression 'Old habits die hard' in her whole life as much as did in that moment - the alarm, albeit not louder than a whisper, always woke her if she was extremely tired. The bed shifted and she felt a light kiss on her bare shoulder.**

 **"Sorry, love. I didn't mean to wake you."**

 **She groaned as she turned to her husband "You'd think after a decade I'd get used to waking up at 6..."**

 **He chuckled and she threw a pillow at him. "I hate you."**

 **"Sure you do, love."**

 **She sighed and settled comfortably into the bed "We have to meet with your mothers for breakfast, so do an hour and a half only."**

 **She sensed as he moved around the bedroom, before sitting down next to her. She breathed in content as he massaged her back - it was little things like this that made her fall in love with him so many years ago.**

 **"You sure you're up to it? Mom will understand if you're too tired, and I don't want you to tire yourself out."**

 **She shook her head "I'll be fine after an hour, and Alex hasn't seen Ela in months. Our daughter misses her favourite grandmother."**

 **He smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead "I love you."**

 **"I love you too. Now shoo and let me sleep, Joshua."**

If it wasn't for his mother sleeping peacefully beside him, Joshua was sure he would've jumped startled. He cursed - this would be too hard to explain if Alex woke. He got up as quietly as he could, careful not to wake her, his mother needed as much sleep as she could before work as it was still very early. Waking up early was more of a curse after drinking, but he needed to get away and clear his head. A long run was exactly what he needed now.

 _ **XXXXX**_

Truthfully, Alex expected to be late for work. Never in a thousand years had she even imagined that her son, Joshua, who hated morning just as much as she did, would wake up before her. At first, she panicked when she saw she was alone, but relaxed when she heard the door open - Joshua walked in with two coffees and donuts.

He started shyly "Hey mom."

She eyed him suspiciously "You woke up before me and got us breakfast?"

Joshua smiled widely, his bad mood forgotten "Oh, come on! I can wake up before you."

"Right..."

He glared "Keep it up and you won't get any coffee."

Alex's eyes widen, shock written all over her "You wouldn't do that to your own mother."

He smirked devilishly "Try me..."

 _ **XXXXX**_

Joshua was bored out of his mind - his mother was busy with something at the DEO and his aunt was buried into emails. If Cat Grant wasn't so scary he would've laughed his ass off, but he didn't dare, not when she was glaring at him intensely. The one that was brave enough to mess with her was either suicidal or straight down crazy - even he knew better than to cross her. He sighed, he should enjoy his day off from both M.E. and the DEO, but he was going stirr crazy. Sure, Duke had offered him some entertainment for about an hour, and, as delightfully funny as Kara was when she ranted off about Cat, such things could only keep his attention for so long.

He sighed, as much as he liked coffee, National City had one of the poorest taste when it came to it - most were acceptable, but they didn't even come close to Gotham's coffee.

"I'm surprised to see you here, Agent. I thought you'd leave by now."

He rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless "Major, to what do I own the pleasure? Surely you have more important things that demand your attention than lil' ol' me."

Lucy groaned "Dad grinned us all when he found out you're here, so shut up. I still don't understand how can he hate you so much..."

"What can I say, Luce? It takes a special kind of gift." the man pointed to the chair next to him "Have a sit, baby Lane. It's been far too long since we had a normal conversation."

"Please, Danvers. We could talk about ants and we'd somehow include aliens or my dad."

He laughed "We do, don't we? Now, jokes aside..." she raised an eyebrow "At least for the moment, Luce. How's my favourite Major doing?"

She sighed "Job wise - one more paper to sign and I'll drop dead, but overall I'm good... James and Kara wanted to see me, something about CatCo, but I'm early."

"Ah, the email thing... I can only imagine your sister's face when she got 'em."

Lucy grinned "And let's not talk about Cat's when she found out Planet had them."

They continued to chat, bicker one another, and failed to see James and Kara enter. In fact, they were sitting too close for two acquaintance. Kara and James watched, shocked, as Joshua gave Lucy a one arm hug as she giggled.

"Did you, uh, know they were friends?"

James shook his head as he tried to recover "N-no, Lucy never mentioned him and..."

They were interrupted as Lucy laughed again, followed by Joshua. Kara had not seen her nephew so relaxed with anyone else but her and Alex and, disregarding Joshua's strict rule about her hearing, she listened closely as the two chatted.

"Now that was actually funny, I guess Gotham brought back to life that sense of humour of yours." Lucy challenged.

"Very funny, Luce... Didn't know army brats were allowed to joke, I'm impressed."

"I always aim to impress you."

That made Kara cringe - the way Lucy spoke obviously hinted at a much stronger relationship than they all thought. Part of her was glad, glad that Joshua had someone other than them, but the bigger part of her found that thought unsettling. Lucy wasn't, as far as they all knew, a supporter of Supergirl just like her father. Joshua was Kara's, Supergirl's, nephew... Lucy saw Joshua protect Kara from General Lane, risking his own life just to put some distance between them - why were they suddenly best friends?

"Earth to Kara?"

The blonde blinked, now aware of the pointed look her nephew was giving her. She smiled innocently, despise knowing that he found her out. "S-Sorry, this thing with ms. Grant really took a toll on me... What were you saying?"

The boy shook his head "Lucy was asking about why you wanted to talk to her." them smiled "And now that you're back among us, I'll leave you too it."

"Oh, you can stay! Right James?"

"If it doesn't bother you or Lucy, I don't see why not..."

Lucy paid little attention to James' frown as she focused on the younger man "And a second opinion is always welcomed."

 _ **XXXXX**_

"Since when are you and Lucy best buds?"

Joshua groaned as he dodged another attack "Really, Kara? You had to tell mom?"

He was doing his usual, not

get hit and throw weak punches, when a punch connected directly to his jaw, turning a switch. He growled - muscle memory was a wonderful thing in real combat, but a pain when training. Before anyone could react, a thud was followed by a loud groan of pain as Alex's body was thrown into the opposite wall.

"Alex!"

The male paled as Kara helped the agent up. Joshua cursed as he looked his mother up and down - he didn't need x-ray vision to know her side was going to bruise; he did breath in relief when he confirmed a bruise and a little disconfort for a day or two was the only thing he did. Kara glared at him as she helped Alex to the med bay. He sighed, it seemed like he was going to get chewed. He wasn't surprised that the blonde waited until Alex got checked out - "Two days of rest and you'll be as good as new, Agent Danvers". He waited patiently.

"What were you thinking throwing Alex like that? She could've been seriously hurt!"

"Kara, it's okay."

"How is this okay?! He threw you into a wall!"

"Have either of us ever landed a clean hit?"

Kara kept quiet as she she tilted her head to the side "What does that have to do with all this?"

Alex sighed, and gestured for the boy to sit next to her. Hesitantly, he took a sit next to her on the bed as his mother took hold of one of his hands. The brunette smiled encouraging.

"We are field operatives, Kara. We train until fighting is drilled into our minds and bodies."

"That doesn't excuse the fact that he could've hurt you."

Alex shook her head "It doesn't, but I know he didn't mean it."

Joshus groaned "But I did it, mom. And I am sorry, Kara, but it wasn't something I controlled - despise the fancy name, I am just a soldier."

Kara pout "I know...but you - we, it never happened before."

Joshua smirked "You two were never jealous of my friends either..."

Kara blushed as she began to rant. Alex rolled her eyes before pushing the man away from her.

"Come on, kid - Lucy does look and smells amazing, but she's Lane's daughter."

"Oh, I know. Lane's face he saw me and Lucy flirt is one thing I wil never forget."

Alex tried not to look shocked, but her son laught nonetheless "You and Lucy? Flirting?"

The man waved it off "We do it all the time, nothing serious though."

"And by "nothing serious" you mean?"

He smirked devilishly "Let's just say that both General Lane and James would drop death if they ever find out."

It suffice to say that neither women questioned his relationship with Lucy Lane after that, both Kara and Alex turning into red and mumbling slowly as they left in a hurry. J'onn looked curiously at them as Joshua laughed, after all he learned the hard way not to pry into the Danvers matter.


End file.
